Clubs bay for Kauta's blood

Eight of last season's NPL clubs are calling on league chairperson Patrick Kauta to resign.

Black Africa, Orlando Pirates, Young African, Civics, Tigers, Citizens, Mighty Gunners, and Julinho Sporting yesterday held a media conference where they called on Kauta to do the right thing and quit.

The clubs said Kauta does not have the interest of football at heart, and that they have no confidence in his leadership style.

Orlando Pirates' Niklaas Kasipili said the NPL executive committee, chaired by Kauta, continues to overstep their responsibilities and ignore a call by members to act within the prescribed norms and rules of the Namibia Football Association (NFA) statutes.

Kasipili said they learned there was an executive committee meeting held on 10 August in order to discuss and appeal against the Fifa normalisation committee's decision not to have relegations.

He said some of them were deliberately excluded from this meeting which affects all members of NPL.

“We distance ourselves from this decision. As members of the NPL Board of Governors (BoG) we were not consulted and it was done ultra vires by the executive committee,” said Kasipili.

He said the NPL has issued a fixtures list that kick-starts the league in September, while ignoring article 3.1.1 of the NFA manual which states the premier league will consist of 16 clubs or any other number decided by the NFA executive committee.

Kasipili added the NFA statutes clearly state the power that is vested in article 2(b), which says the NFA is responsible to organise association football competitions in all its forms at a national level by defining precisely, as required, the areas of authority conceded to the various leagues of which it is composed.

“The NPL continues to act and disregard the laid down rules and regulations set for the smooth running of the league.

“The executive committee has over the year acted in a manner that is not in line with good governance,” lamented Kasipili.

NPL executive member Victor Hamunyela, who spoke as an individual, as he is not representing any club even though he is affiliated to Civics, said that Kauta is trying to run the NPL like a dictator, while referring to Uganda's deceased president Idi Amin.

“No member or league shall amend or change the format of the promotion or relegation of clubs as contained in these regulation.

“The NPL has no right to determine the number of teams in the league, as Kauta is unilaterally doing; that prerogative lies with NFA and not the NPL.

“When the normalisation committee was installed at the NFA by Fifa, it was clearly announced that they shall have the same powers as the (NFA) executive committee,” he said.

Hamunyela further quoted article 57.2 of the NPL constitution, saying that members, players, officials, match and player's agents will not take any dispute to the ordinary courts unless specifically provided for in the constitution of the NFA and Fifa regulations.

He further highlighted that any disagreement shall be submitted to the jurisdiction of NFA, an arbitration tribunal recognised by the NFA or the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

Hamunyela added that the league cannot start with 13 clubs because the agreement which they have with the sponsors, namely MTC and FNB, states that there will be 16 clubs.

He too asked Kauta to relinquish his chair, as his stay will bring the NPL into disrepute.

Mali Ngarizemo, the owner of demoted Young African, also asked for Kauta's resignation.

“Maybe I don't have power and money like Kauta. But this issue of Young African is not a football matter but a personal matter and decision. The man is not good for football,” he added.

Kauta said he will not resign unless the majority of members of the NPL BoG want him to step down.

“I do not benefit from the league at all and mind you the letter Fifa wrote about relegation was speaking about the upcoming season, not the 2018/19 season, if you read the letter correctly,” he said.

“The letter states that Fifa endorses that there will be no promotions/relegations for the upcoming season. Which means that relegations and promotions will take place in the 2019/20 season,” Kauta argued.

He further said they will not bridge the NPL's rules by allowing two clubs, namely Civics and Pirates, to join the fray in the coming season.

“On what basis should we amend the NPL rules? How are they different from Chiefs Santos or Rundu Chefs,” he added.

With regard to Civics and Pirates, he said they are not members of NPL since 26 May. “That's because they were relegated. Young African was demoted long ago. The NPL constitution approved both by Fifa and the NFA makes it clear that you cease as members as soon as you are relegated or demoted.

“This above argument has riled Hamunyela. This very reason led to Ngarizemo losing his exco seat as well. Now that it's his turn, then I'm the culprit,” added Kauta.



LIMBA MUPETAMI